Evaluating the symptoms of pelvic floor disorders in relation to the stage of pelvic organ prolapse and quality of life

Background: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between pelvic organ prolapse symptoms, the severity and location of the prolapse, and their impact on the quality of life of women referring to a pelvic floor disorders clinic. Methods: In this cross-sectional and multi-center study, which was conducted at the pelvic floor disorders clinics of Ghaem (AS) and Imam Reza (AS) hospitals from February 20, 2019, to April 20, 2020, approximately 191 women with complaints of pelvic floor disorders were examined. Participants completed the pelvic floor distress index (PFDI) questionnaire, and prolapse severity was assessed using the pelvic organ prolapse quantification (POP-Q) system. The relationship between disease severity, prolapse stage, and quality of life was investigated. Data were analyzed using SPSS 16, with P-values of less than 0.05 considered significant. Results: The average age of participants was 53.23 years (31 to 89 years), and 95 (49.7%) of the patients were postmenopausal. One hundred eighty patients (94.2%) had at least one urinary symptom, and 116 patients (61%) had at least one bowel symptom. A significant relationship was observed between the stages of anterior and posterior compartment prolapse and the severity of stress urinary incontinence (SUI) (P<0.001). Additionally, the stages of anterior and posterior compartment prolapse were significantly linked to incomplete defecation (P values of 0.031 and 0.004, respectively) and fecal urgency (P values of<0.001 and<0.001, respectively). All urinary and defecatory symptoms, except urinary frequency, urinary incontinence during sexual intercourse, and fecal incontinence were significantly related to PFDI. A significant correlation was also found between PFDI and prolapse severity (r=0.334). Conclusion: Urinary, defecatory, and sexual symptoms had significant relationships with the severity and the stage of pelvic organ prolapse and with the PFDI.